Shopping for an mp3 player has become increasingly difficult over the past few years. With the runaway success of the ipod, it seems that everyone has gotten in on the game. Before you buy one however, it is definitely in your best interest to ask yourself a few simple questions first. Let's clear the air and help you pick out a rockin' mp3 player that suits your needs!

The first and most important question to answer is how do you get your music? Do you already have alot of music on your computer? Is it from iTunes? Are they from cd's that you ripped to your computer already?
If you already have alot of music that you bought from iTunes, then get an ipod. Its that simple. Apple has locked you into their format, and you are forever stuck in ipod land (technically *wink wink*). If you have music from another source, then your options are much more open. I am going to give you a brief primer on the most popular ways to get music and put it on your computer and mp3 player.

The iTunes model
iTunes: works with iPod
If you subscribe to the iTunes model then you have the option of buying each song individually for $1.00 a song, and this allows you to only buy the songs that you like rather than the whole album. You can also purchase an album for $9.99 to $12.99. If you listen to alot of music, this can add up quite rapidly as you can see. Unfortunately, this model has lead to the massive spread of the next model on our list:

The P2P model
These songs will work on any mp3 player
Using a program (almost certainly Limewire), you can download individual tracks from other users for free. You can also download all kinds of malware unwittingly. Oh yeah, and this is ILLEGAL. Does that stop people? No, not really as you can tell by looking at the sheer number of people who use the program. This is a very high-risk way to obtain music, not only for legal purposes, but because this is one of the top ways to get viruses and other forms of malware on you computer. The free price is the main enticement here, and this hasn't gone unnoticed by the industry. In fact it has led to an amalgamation of the these two models:

The Subscription model
Zune Marketplace: works with Zune
Rhapsody: works with Sandisk, iRiver, others
The Zune marketplace and Rhapsody are the two big players in this game. They allow you to buy individual songs just like iTunes does for $0.99 a song and you can buy albums for $9.99 as well. What do they offer that differentiates them from iTunes? The subscription model. You can pay $12.99 to $14.99 each month and download ALL THE MUSIC YOU WANT. The Zune Marketplace even lets you keep 10 songs each month! Not only does this allow you to have all of your favorite tracks, but you can also discover new music at no additional cost. This model is also legal and free from the plagues of malware that inhabit the P2P model. As you may have determined, I am partial to this model. There is one other alternative as well:

The Alternative iTunes model
These songs will work on any mp3 player.
Recently, there have been some strong competitors to iTunes (the market leader in $$$) from Amazon and eMusic for example. They follow the same business model but they offer individual songs and albums for CHEAPER than iTunes does.

The Streaming model
These songs stream to most internet connected devices.
Services such as Last.fm, Pandora, and Spotify enable users to stream music based upon their preferences similar to a radio station. In fact, the best way to think of these is that they are essentially internet radio stations tailored to your tastes in music. They typically are ad-supported, but may offer a nominal-fee ad-free version as well. The downside of course is that you don't get to keep the music.

There are tons of mp3 players out there, and many of them are quite good. If you stick to the big three brands (ipod, zune, sandisk) then you will have a quality mp3 player. The most important question to ask yourself is: HOW do you get your music? If you answer that, then you will know which mp3 players to consider. Let's take a brief overview of each of the big 3 shall we?

iPod
The ipod is solidly constructed, features strong battery life and decent navigation. If you are a geek like me, its support for podcasts is a plus as well. The downsides are the ties to iTunes and the fact that the battery cannot be replaced. Wonder why they sell so many ipods? How about because the battery dies after two years and it costs almost as much to replace it (have to send it to Apple) than it does to get a new one. That is a major flaw in my opinion. It also doesn't have an FM reciever.

Zune
The Zune is solidly constructed as well features terrific battery life and great navigation. The touch sensitive pad is the best combination of the ipod circle and the click wheel of the Sansa players. Its store, the Zune Marketplace is the best of the bunch, and it supports podcasts as well. It also supports FM radio unlike the ipod. You are also able to sync with your computer wirelessly which is a nice feature. The downsides are that it is tied to the Zune software to sync content.

Sandisk
The sandisk players are solidly constructed and extremely durable. They also have terrific battery life and easy to use navigation. They feature an FM reciever and let you sync music using windows media player. They support most of the music stores and the Rhapsody subscription service. The downside is that you may have to maintain multiple accounts with different music stores.

My recommendation is to buy an mp3 player that uses one of the subscription models. I have (had) all of the above mp3 players and have used all of the above services as well. I prefer the Zune and the Zune Marketplace to get my music. The Sandisk players and the Rhapsody service are nearly as good, so compare the two devices and see which you prefer. It is legal, cheap, and very easy to use. There is something to be said about searching for Aerosmith (for example) and simply downloading every album that they have recorded.

I have to run do a Stickam show, but I will update this article further.